Gen Rex: Season's Change
by DraftsmanFive
Summary: "Anyone man who runs from his past will surely forfeit his future." Having all but confronted his history, these are the stories of Van Kleiss and his allies during the passing moments of the first three seasons.


**THE HUNTERS AND THEIR QUARRY: PART I (BASED ON "HARD TARGET")**

Violence for violence is the rule of beasts, and the subjects of Abysus embraced the sanctity of blood sans objection. With ichor serving as the ink to Van Kleiss's contract, the hierarchy of The Pack was based solely off of how lethal each of the members were as opposed to any other abilities they contributed to the group.

As such, this meant that a Class-1 EVO such as Breach was the lowest ranking member in the upper echelons of Abysus, despite her power being far superior to Van Kleiss and his limited potential.

But it mattered little to her or anyone for that matter, so long as she could travel as she pleased and eventually live in a world where people like her would no longer be outcast or looked down upon.

Biowulf and Skalamander, however, felt their ranks had greater significance. While Breach only cared about the glory of Van Kleiss, the two of them were fueled by an ambition as selfish as his. They accepted that they could never be in the same position as him, but if they stayed loyal to the day he would inevitably rule over all EVOs, all that power and strength could be theirs as well; to live in a world where they can not only exist, but control it with impunity and absolute authority.

However, it was uncertain when the new age would arrive and there were a number of obstacles that stood in their path — namely, Providence and their most troublesome asset Rex Salazar.

Biowulf and Skalamander considered themselves fortunate that Van Kleiss abandoned his pursuits of recruiting the headstrong teenager; yet at the same time, they arrived at the macabre conclusion that if Rex was not to join them, he would inevitably be eliminated whenever Van Kleiss willed it.

They both knew it would not be an easy fight nor one that Van Kleiss could ever hope of winning on his own — so they often spent many afternoons sparring in the flowery fields of Abysus.

In the present, they took turns violently swinging at each other and doing their best to inflict the most damage, all to hone their ferocity and secure their status as Van Kleiss's right hand men. And with Breach as their disinterested yet impartial spectator, they were able to do so with relative safety as she could tend to their immediate wounds and end the fight if it was getting too dangerous.

That day, however, her services weren't really necessary as the wolf and salamander experimented with more defensive tactics. Shards of Skalamander's crystals sprinkled the fields in a dazzling display while Biowulf gracefully weaved through crystals that erupted from the earth; so all Breach could do is pick at the flowers — humming gleefully as she meticulously tore off the petals one by one for fun and to settle a thought that had been on her mind.

"Mess with him, mess with him not. Mess with him, mess with him not. Mess with him — oh, there goes all the petals. And any lingering doubt that I'll be seeing him later today." Breach giggled before she dropped the flower and it spontaneously blossomed a new set of larger, more vibrant petals.

Likewise, the whole entire field perked up and looked to be more lively, which could only mean the approach of Van Kleiss as he appeared headfirst from a nearby hill and drew nearer to The Pack.

"Breach, Biowulf, Skalamnder. A moment of your time?" Van Kleiss asked his subordinates; though truthfully it was a command that they could not refuse, no matter how valid the excuse was.

And though Biowulf and Skalamander were in a frenzy with all the adrenaline rushing through their veins, they heeded his call and ceased combat immediately — with Biowulf going as far as to kneel in the presence of Abysus's king despite how short of breath he was.

"We are never too busy for you, _pant_, Master." Biowulf huffed in ragged bursts of speech.

"Bootlicker." Skalamander muttered in frustration of not being able to land one final blow before Van Kleiss interrupted their session. Biowulf growled and bared his fangs in response, but before they would start attacking each other again Van Kleiss cleared his throat and all eyes were on him.

"Enough bickering you two. I expect nothing short of everyone's full attention for what I say next."

"Did something happen?" Biowulf questioned with perked ears while standing up. The three warriors—as they rarely called themselves—drew close to Van Kleiss as he began his address.

"That would be the issue at hand." He began with a sour expression on his face and his regular hand propped underneath his chin. "See, ever since Rex's debut at Providence _nothing_ has happened — or rather, Abysus has achieved little more than my ability to create EVOs at will."

Van Kleiss reminded everyone of that fact as sparks crackled from his gilded gauntlet. "Even then, I hesitate to call that much a victory as it had a negligible impact on the progression of our cause."

"Nonsense! Because of your unparalleled leadership your abilities are now without peer!"

"Your words, flattering as they may be, are worthless Biowulf." Van Kleiss retorted. On any other day Skalamander might have chuckled in amusement to seeing Biowulf being chastised like a pup, but even he continued to frown in silence upon hearing Van Kleiss's ill tidings.

"I lament to say this, but even as I watch you spar with great ferocity I believe our effectiveness as a unit has plateaued." He concluded with an intense glare...that had a semblance of hope glistening within the corner of his eyes? It sounded like he was admitting defeat, but did he have other plans?

"What then? An army without a war sounds much more like a bore." Breach expressed unabashedly.

"Then you already understand what must be done. My trusted allies, it is about time we changed our priorities!" He announced with a commanding voice full of confidence and certainty. "And you, Breach, will be at the center of our operations following this assignment." Van Kleiss stated at a near whisper as he placed his hand on her shoulder and then passed her a photograph from his jacket.

Breach was surprised to hear Van Kleiss designate her with so much importance voluntarily, especially after instances in the past in which she was ultimately useless or unavailable. Whatever was responsible for such a change in Van Kleiss's faith in her was a curious thing to be sure, so she and the other two members of The Pack studied the picture carefully though there wasn't much beyond a cursory glance to be gathered from the image.

"Is this the sculpture of a man?" asked Biowulf.

"Looks like a regular mineral deposit to me." Skalamander added.

"Actually, both of your assumptions would be correct. The man in this photo is known as Quarry."

"His name...is Quarry?" Skalamander repeated in disbelief. "Like an ore mine? That kind of Quarry?" Van Kleiss simply nodded to the droll coincidence that was the crime boss' name.

"Was that before or after he turned EVO?"

"I wouldn't know, nor do I care quite frankly. The only information relevant to us is that Quarry is an EVO who used to run a criminal empire operating in Hong Kong." He replied, looking at Breach. She gathered that her role would involve teleportation to some capacity, but was yet to know why.

"How did you become acquainted with such a character stationed so far away, Master?" Biowulf prompted while delicately taking the image from Breach and inspecting it more closely.

"After Circe made the foolish decision of abandoning our cause, I sought her location to issue the appropriate punishment. I expected her to flee some distance away from Ukraine, but she was actually directed to a group of Rex's old friends...friends who once worked with Quarry."

That bit of news came as a surprise to the three listeners — though Breach experienced the most shock out of everyone leaning the revelation. Was Providence's knight in shining armor actually a bad boy? Was there an unforgiving, relentless fiend hiding beneath that kind and virtuous exterior?

"So, he was a lowly criminal before Providence?" There was a hint of disapproval in Biowulf's tone.

"He was a desperate boy once, Biowulf. One doesn't join a gang for amusement and merriment." Van Kleiss explained before retrieving the photo from his claws and pocketing it once more. "To that extent, he was really no different than the rest of you upon your time meeting with me."

Biowulf sheepishly looked away, unable to admit fault in Van Kleiss's reasoning while refusing to acknowledge it; Skalamander had no qualms with the statement and tilted his head in agreement; and Breach let out a breath of relief, still holding onto the hope that Rex's goodness was real.

She couldn't explain why she centered her perception of reality around him or what drew her attention to him the day Van Kleiss realized Rex was recruited by Providence, but the one fundamental truth she accepted was that he was a kind person, and she liked that a lot.

Meanwhile, Van Kleiss turned around and began walking back to the castle. "However that is where our similarities end, for I accepted all of you out of the generosity of my heart whereas Quarry only sought to exploit those beneath him." He said without a hint of self-reflection or humility.

"To call him thick skinned and iron fisted would be no exaggeration, and it is those unique attributes I wish to exploit." Van Kleiss admitted with a clenched fist held in front of him.

"For what purpose?" Breach queried, to which Van Kleiss turned his head and glanced at her.

"To attain a weapon." He answered before moving on. "When we were caught in that anti-nanite sandstorm a few weeks back, I disabled the AI responsible for the phenomenon and learned of a damning piece of information related to its programmer. Do any of you remember Caesar?"

"Wasn't he that one scientist you think started The Nanite Event?" Skalamander spat out. The Pack couldn't recall how many years has it been since his name was last mentioned by their master.

"I know he did, for I finally ascertained the motives of Rex's older brother." _He's related to Rex?_ The Pack gasped in union. "See, all those years ago he was protecting a prize that guarantees victory to anyone who wields it. They called it The Dominion Code, and with it I can become God."

Everyone's eyes widened in response to Van Kleiss's claim. Governing the world would be one thing, but to elevate himself to the status of divine providence? Coming from him, they believed it possible.

"Master! There is no being more worthy of achieving Dominion than you!" Biowulf cheered, causing Van Kleiss to smile at the thought of a unified world where EVOs would surpass humanity.

"We are so close to witnessing our dreams come into fruition — but in order to move forward with our new plan we will need an insurance policy. Should anyone else acquire it first, a molecular destabilizer will be the only way we can eliminate them by suppressing their atomic charge; our opponents would become too powerful to challenge otherwise."

_So Van Kleiss wants Quarry to pick up a fancy new toy._ Breach thought to herself. Just how powerful was the Dominion Code for Van Kleiss to need such a weapon against others looking to attain it?

"So to reiterate, it is quintessential that we acquire that weapon at all costs. Recently, a group of scientists in Hong Kong finished construction of one under commission of the Haven society. There is a period of time before they are able to access it themselves, so we must seize this opportunity."

By the time Van Kleiss finished laying out the details of his plan, the four members of The Pack stood before the entrance of Abysus castle. With a snap of his fingers, Breach knew to open a portal to Van Kleiss's private study and he walked through the portal with but one additional instruction.

"I will now begin my search for the remaining pieces of this puzzle. Biowulf, you will supervise Breach's mission and may use whatever resources available to see its success. Skalamander, venture to the barracks and begin training whatever EVOs are present. A revolution is starting soon."

The portal closed and left the three EVOs exchanging glances, processing everything they were told.

"Well, guess I have some bugs to wrangle. You two have fun sorting your stuff out." Skalamander gave a little wave before encasing himself in a crystal and burrowing into the ground, and then there were two. Biowulf stared down Breach who scrunched her face at his ominous scowl.

"I will never understand why Master entrusted you with this task. You may have seniority, but don't think I'll be any more tolerant of failure than he is." Biowulf hissed before bumping into her side and beckoning her to follow him. Breach groaned, loathing that she had to work with him of all people. Even Doctor smartypants might've been less of a pain to listen to, but it was what it was.

Without argument, she followed his lead and together they began preparing Quarry's jailbreak.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
**Hello! So, as the summary reads this is a sort of tie-in to the original series meaning that it takes place within the continuity of the first three seasons and is compliant with the canon!

I wrote this because I wanted a break from the main storyline I'm exploring with my post-season 3 story, so this isn't a required reading for that fanfic and can be enjoyed completely separately!

For this first chapter, I chose to focus on The Pack's journey after Alliance and before Lions and Lambs to create some content for them and to explore some headcanons and theories I had in mind! I hope you all enjoy, and feel free to suggest any other ideas you'd like for me to explore!


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